The Winning Plan
by chiakinanami
Summary: Peach is hoping that after a very emotional encounter that has left her a wreck, some time at Bowser's castle will be just what she needs to leave the lingering memory of hurt in the dust. But the princess may leave Bowser's castle with a lot more than she expected.
1. Chained in White

The Mushroom princess's eyes popped open, and her light blue hues examined the room around her. It was dark, and she instantly concluded she wasn't in her room. She patted the ground beneath her identifying it as stone. She rose up from the cold floor to stretch her aching back, but the metal chains wrapped around her arms and legs limited her stretch. She already felt horrible, a memory filled with sadness still lingered in here mind, and now she could add back ache and loss of sleep to the list of things that were wrong with her.

She reached down to dust of her dress, but her fingers stopped. She wasn't wearing her casual pink dress with the blue brooch she had become fond of over the years, instead in its place was a white one, that looked just like the one she wore in the in the smash tournaments. Beside her blue glass heels was a black crown with light pink jewels. Her head felt a little naked without her usual golden crown, so she decided to wear it until she was able to find her it.

She heard the creak of a door on top of the stairs, and bare feet clapping against the stone stairs. Bowser, she instantly thought, not that she ever had second thoughts about him being the one behind this. Although she had to admit, even for Bowser this was _unusual,_ she hadn't been chained down here in shrugged it off having no doubt what ever he was up to would fail, and now that she was here maybe she could finally relax and escape her troubles. She had some good times here after she got past the being kidnapped part.

The Koopa King kept his gaze on her as he walked up. She always looked beautiful, but dressed as the future Darkland queen he'd always imagined her to be she looked flawless. His eyes followed her, even after she backed into the wall out of obvious discomfort. This moment began phase one of his plan, a plan he knew Mario couldn't stop it because he wouldn't even know what it was until it was staring him right in that stupid, pudgy face of his.

As Peach opened her mouth to speak, Bowser quickly kneeled down to Peach's height and lock his lips with hers. The princess tried her best to squirm out of it, but her back was against the wall, and his hold on her was strong. She struggled a little longer, but her heart willed her to stop, her body relaxed as a warm feeling rushed through her chest. No_,_ she thought, _I don't feel anything for Bowser, this feeling isn't real!_ She knew he cared for her a lot though, maybe even too much. He went out of his way to make her feel at home, and not because she was the princess, but because he cared. There was only one other person who would do that before her just because, and his heart was somewhere else...

Bowser looked down waiting for the princess's reaction as he backed away. She looked confused, and a little didn't have that look of disgust she thought she would have. Her eyes closed tight and she clenched her teeth tight like she was trying to hold something back she didn't want to get out. She was usually so refined and able to control her emotions in serious situation, but now her emotions were taking over, and she was trying to stop it. He knew she was upset.

She really wanted to want to lunge at Bowser the second he backed up, but she just wasn't mad at him for doing it. If anything, the kiss just brought out the feelings she'd been trying to hold back for days. Of course there's no way she could have hidden it from Bowser, and he probably already knew. She'd pretend like what he just did didn't happen to make sure she didn't make anymore problems for herself. _And that feeling, I'm sure my mind was just trying to fill the space in my heart._ There was just absolutely no way she had feelings for Bowser. Her heart ached for Mario.

"Peach," Bowser called breaking the silence. "You seem out of it. Usually you'd've politely demanded I tell you what's going on."

"Would you have told me?" She asked already knowing the answer.

"Of course not! I wanna see the look on that pretty face of yours when I finally have that pesky plumber beat." He watched as her head drooped after he finished.

"Okay, somethin' is definitely up." He observed.

Another thing the boys had in common, they knew her too well. "I'm fine Bowser, thank you for your concern." She lied. She forced out a weak smile hoping he'd leave the subject alone. She didn't want to talk about it, she wanted to leave the memory in the dust. "Although I'm sure if I had a proper rest I'd be even better."

Bowser turned slowly walking away. "Go ahead I'll be back at five." He had no intention on leaving here there, he just wanted to try to make her smile.

Peach's mouth shot opened."Bowser!"

He quickly turned around and grinned, she smiled back in return. She should have known he wouldn't leave her down in the dark dungeon to sleep on the cold, uncomfortable floor. Maybe in the old days, but things had changed now and she knew he actually enjoyed having her around and didn't have a lust for power and control over her kingdom.

"There's that pretty smile." He said taking out a small silver key and began unlocking the chains until the princess was free.

He waved his sharp clawed hands behind him for her to follow. "C'mon, you can sleep in my room."

She followed him out of the dungeon and up a black flight of stairs. As they passed the koopaling's rooms she could hear all the commotion she was use to while she was here. She heard someone pounding their fist hard against their other hand, probably Roy. She heard Morton saying "I'm not scared," and giving a thousand different reasons why. She would've been worried, but they were tough kids and would never hurt each other seriously. She smiled, she missed being around here, it was like a place she could go when she needed to escape her problems at home, and now she was able to escape a big one.

Bowser opened the door to his room that was almost as dark as the dungeon. _At least I can sleep like it's night-time_. She mused while making her way over to the large bed. She ran her gloved hands across the soft comforter. The only thing that stood out in the dark were the bright red and orange that made up fire on his sheets the rest, was black. She tucked herself into the big bed and turned to her preferred side. It was like sleeping on a cloud, and knowing Bowser he probably demanded it that way.

Bowser closed the door, but opened it again quickly to say, "Oh, and feel better!"

She sighed before closing her eyes. He knew her too well, and he loved to use that fact to mess with her.

* * *

Bowser sat with his chair backwards to his desk facing the window. He looked at the blues, reds, and oranges that made up the Darkland morning sky. He was never up this early, unless Peach was here. Something about the blond princess being there brought a smile to his face every time he saw her. He thought about what could be causing Peach to be so emotional while he waited for Kamek to enter. The way he saw it there was ever anything wrong with her, he would fix it, but how could he when she wouldn't even admit something was wrong?

"Your Nastiness," An old, rough voice called behind him. "I assume you were able to carry out step one of the plan, correct?" Kamek didn't feel the need to actually say the words 'kiss the princess' he wanted to keep things as discreet as possible.

The king didn't respond, he was still caught up in his thoughts causing Kamek to call again, "Your nastiness?"

"Huh?" Bowser said snapping out of his thoughts and turning around to face his adviser.

"I asked if you were able to carry out step one of the plan. Are you feeling alright?" Kamek questioned. He knew Bowser wasn't the most alert person on earth, but when in came to matters that dealt with the princess, he listened.

"Don't be stupid, Kamek. 'Course I'm alright, I just had the best kiss of my life!" He declared, giving an answer to both questions. Peach was the one who wasn't alright, but maybe Kamek could help him figure out what was wrong...

Of course the king couldn't keep something like that to himself. Kamek predicted it would be the highlight of his day when Bowser finally agreed that chaining her up was the only way to do it. "Then it's on to phase two, which I believe is treating her to tea made especially for Darkland couples." Kamek looked down at his list, and nodded confirming that was the next step. "Kammy and I will go to set it up at your command."

A twinkle lit up Bowser's red eyes, as a plan popped up in his devious mind. "Kamek, is there anything I could put in the princess's tea to make her tell the truth about somethin'?" If it was possible it'd be pretty tempting to ask her a few other things, but he'd resist. All he wanted to do was figure out how to go about cheering her up.

Kamek fiddled with his glasses the way he always did when the king gave him requests like that. The king never knew what he was getting into, and never listened to reason. "Yes, but you'll have to be more spe-"

Yes was all Bowser needed to hear. He held his had up before Kamek could finish so he could spare himself the details. "You're dismissed to go set up now, and Peach's tea better have a little truth in it." Bowser turned back to the window waiting for Kamek to leave.

The advisor left, he tried not to let his anger show as he shut the door behind him. Just he predicted the king didn't want to hear anything past the answer 'yes'. There were a million different potions for getting someone to tell the truth, and with out a specific problem Kamek didn't know which to choose. If something went wrong he and Kammy would never hear the end of it. He hoped Kammy could have some sort of hypothesis on what the problem could be because he had no idea where to begin.

* * *

**Please R&R I'd love to hear what you have to say!  
**

**(Here is where I'll ask you a question about the story because I want to see all your crazy or spot on predictions.)**

**Hm, what could be wrong with Peach?**


	2. Setting the Memory Free

_The princess's blonde hair blew in the wind as she sat on a red checkered picnic blanket with the plumber she called her best friend. She looked longingly at him as she nibbled on a sandwich filled with meat, lettuce, and a touch of mustard. Mario wasn't the most handsome fish in the sea, and definitely not someone anyone would imagine a princess to fall in love with, yet Peach still yearned to be with him. She thought back to the first time she was ever whisked away from her bed side by Bowser, and how Mario came to her rescue before he even knew who she was. That moment when she kissed him on the cheek and she saw his soft blush is when she knew he'd always be her knight in shining armor, and today she'd finally let him know how much he meant to her._

Mario's cheeks were filled with crumbs, from his obvious enjoyment of the various assortment of snacks Peach had packed. He turned around to pick out another, but his eyes met Peach's first. The princess's gaze had a look of seriousness in it like she was trying to say something, but couldn't figure out how to word it. He tilted his head at her.

"Peach is there something you want to say?" He inquired snapping a few times incase she had gotten trapped in her thoughts.

She took a deep breath, it was now or never. "Mario, it's been a few years," She considered her words carefully, before continuing, "And I want to make us official." She looked up at him again, in her mind pleading for him to say yes.

He sighed. "Peach, we talked about this. I just don't know where-"

She huffed, tired of him avoiding this conversation. "I can't spend my whole life waiting until you finally decide who you want to be with." She turned away and gave him his choices, "It's either Pauline or me."

"Peach..." He didn't want to hurt either of them, so he said whatever he had to avoid this conversation on both ends.

"I'm tired of dancing around this subject, Mario." Peach clenched her fists. She was so sick of how everyone treated her as if she was some fragile piece of glass that would break upon hearing any bad news.

He sighed once more, it looked like it was time to say what was on his mind. "She wrote me at the beginning of the month to say she's coming to visit in a few days, and just hearing from her..."

She gave him a small nod. She understood what he was saying before he could even find the words to finish with. She lifted her legs up and dusted off her dress. "I really should go. I'll see you soon, Mario." Before he could even say anything, she turned and made her way towards the castle in the distance. A tear dropped down her rosy cheeks as she walked away in the dawn light. The princess had just had her heart broken for the first time, but at least she finally knew where Mario's heart was.

Peach awoke in a cold sweat, tears riding down to her neck. She hoped she'd be carried away to a beautiful dream world where her problems didn't exist, but no such luck. She couldn't hold this in anymore, but she knew better than to talk to Bowser about it. Even though she was devastated over what happened, Mario was her friend and she didn't want to listen to Bowser repeatedly bash him.

"Finally awake?" A deep, female voice called. Peach pulled the covers over herself, partly because she it startled her and partly because she didn't want anyone to see her. She wiped away tears and peaked from under the covers.

The woman chuckled, "I haven't gotten that scary lookin' have I, princess?"

Peach practically jumped off from under the covers when she realized who it was. "Marie!" She smiled and the black-haired koopa. They had a lot of small chats through at the years when Marie had to clean a room Peach was in. Seeing her was probably the only thing that could make her smile at the moment. "I'm surprised you're still putting up with Bowser."

She walked over to the princess, and began messing with her hair. "I've barely seen him in the last couple of months, make's me a little suspicious." She said, looking around.

"I'm not worried about it, I shouldn't be here too much longer." She kept things general, wanting to keep the plumber out of her mind.

"Well, while you're here, how about we do something with this pretty hair of yours."

"What style are you thinking of?"

She played with Peach's hair awhile longer before answering, "Mm, I'm thinkin' a fancy lookin' messy bun, and while I do that you can tell me why your eyes are puffy."

Before she could protest or react, the maid grabbed her hand and without much effort, pulled her out of the room.

Peach sat as her hair was being flat ironed, turning the pages of magazine and slightly glanced at each picture. In some sort of respect trying a new hair style was exciting to her, for the princess hoped it could build up the confidence she still had left. She glanced up slightly at Marie, knowing the maid was pretty trustworthy, she decided it was time to set the lingering memory free.

"I-It's Mario," She began words already shaky, "H-he chose someone else..." She took a deep breath allowing tears to fall from her eyes.

Marie nodded and just let the princess continue, she knew any type of pity wasn't going to help her feel any better. She listened carefully as Peach explained what went on between her and the plumber. She pulled out a tissue, so the princess could wipe away her tears. Crying was looked down upon if you were a grown koopa, but Marie knew exactly how much letting them fall could help. As she finished and her tears grew heavier, Marie cuffed her soft, small hands in hers and hinted, "Infatuation blinds you from seeing the love that could have been or still could be." She simply left it at that, the princess would see what she meant soon enough.

Peach wiped her eyes for that last time, and tried to slow her breathing. She thought about what the maid told her, and she was pretty sure she understood it, but she didn't see any love that could be now that Mario was gone. She decided to shrug it off. "Thanks for listening, Marie." She gave a weary smile. It was a relief to finally get that off her chest, and she felt a tad bit better.

She put down the flat-iron and hugged the princess. "You'll get through this." She whispered still holding her close. After they both let go she lead the other over to a chair to begin the bun. She created a side part and began loosely forming the bun. She combed some of the hair to the side, stopping to curl it, to give it a messy yet beautiful look. She took the hair band that she already placed on her arm and wrapped it around the golden blonde bun she formed and held with her hand.

The maid went off, and the princess stood up, brushing the access hair off of her until Marie came back with the white dress folded in her arms. "I've just been told the king is on his way, good luck with whatever he has planned." She winked as she handed off the dress, causing the princess to smirk.

"I suppose it's better than being in the Mushroom Kingdom at the moment. " She replied, walking into bathroom. She pulled off her robe, and very carefully put her dress back on from the bottom up, not wanting to mess up her hair. She stood up straight after she managed to get the dress on, examining herself in the mirror, and running her hands down the dress to make sure it was wrinkle free. She liked this style she looked more elegant than she ever had, even if her eyes were still a little puffy. She admired herself from different angles until she heard the doorknob turn, she closed her eyes and faced the door, knowing it wasn't the maid on the other side.

* * *

Kamek watched anxiously as Kammy poured the truth potion into her tea. They agreed the best way to do it was to already have their first cup of tea ready since they'd be arriving momentarily. She swirled a spoon around in it to make sure it wasn't all stuck in one place. She finished and backed up and floated beside her male colleague. They had done all they could, and hopefully it wouldn't backfire.

* * *

**Hope this isn't too bad. I've been preparing for a writing test I took today so I had to rush to get this** ready.  
**Funny how when I think of a name for a maid my mind instantly thinks Bloody Marie from Skullgirls xD**  
**Anyway, How do you think the tea will go?**


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